14 Famous astronomers:John Couch Adams (1819-92, Britain) studied the Leonid meteor shower and predicted the existence of Neptune, which was discovered in 1846.
Edward Emerson Barnard (1857-1923, USA) discovered Barnard's Star and Amalthea, a moon of Jupiter.
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543, Poland) showed that the Sun was at the center of the Solar System.
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642, Italy) was a mathematician who made important discoveries concerning motion and gravity. Galileo built some of the first telescopes used in astronomy and used them to discover many previously unknown space objects.
George Ellery Hale (1868-1938, USA) pioneered the astronomical study of the Sun and founded observatories, one with major telescopes named after him.
Edmond Halley (1656-1742, Britain) predicted the orbits of comets, including the one that bears his name.
William Herschel (1738-1822, Germany) built huge telescopes, compiled catalogues of stars and discovered moons of Saturn and Uranus.
Edwin Hubble (1889-1953, USA) Hubble space Telescope was named in his honour. Edwin made important discoveries about galaxies.
Christiaan Huygens (1629-95, Holland) discovered Saturn's rings and devised the wave theory of light.
Percival Lowell (1855-1916, USA) was a founder of the Lowell Observatory, Arizona. Lowell predicted that a planet would be found in the region where Pluto was later discovered.
Charles Messier (1730-1817, France) studied comets and eclipses, but he is best known for his catalogue of stars.
Isaac Newton (1643-1727, Britain) is considered one of the greatest of all astronomers. His theories of gravity and the motions of planets revolutionized the subject.
Heinrich Olbers (1758-1840, Germany) discovered asteroids and comets, one of which was named after him.
Giuseppe Piazza (1746-1826, Italy) compiled star catalogues and discovered the first asteroid, Ceres, in 1801.Astronomy milestones:Astronomy is the scientific study of the universe and the bodies it contains (excluding Earth). Astronomers are the scientists who study astronomy.

Year

Milestone

585 BC

First prediction of eclipse of the sun

130 BC

Hipparchus calculates distance and size of the Moon

AD 1543

Copernicus shows that the Sun is at the center of the Solar System

1609

Planetary motion Law described by Johannes Kepler

1610

Galileodicovered Moons of Jupiter

1655

Titan, Moon of Saturn discovered by Christiaan Huygens

1668

First reflecting Telescope builds by Isaac Newton

1687

Isaac Newton publishes theories of the motions of planets, etc.

1705

Edmond Halley predicts return of the comet

1671-84

Four moons of Saturn discovered by Giovanni Cassini

1774

Charles Messier compiles a star catalogue

1781

Uranus the 7th planet, discovered by William Herschel

1801

The first asteroid, Ceres, discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi

1846

Neptune, 8th planet discovered by Johann Galle and Urbain Le Varrier

1787-89

Herschel finds Two moons of Saturn and two of Uranus

1839-40

First photographs of the Moon

1894

Flagstaff Observatory, Arizona, founded

1905

Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity 1st considered

1908

Giant and dwarf stars described

1923

Galaxies beyond the Milky Way proved

1927

Big Bang theory first proposed

1930

Pluto, the 9th planet discovered by Clyde Tombaugh

1959

First photographs by soviet satellite Luna 3of the far side of the Moon